This is my second dorama and I was quite impressed yet not impressed with what I got. I was most happy with the genre because it shies away from the typical rom-com that is conquering k-dramas and tw-dramas. I like that it is a fresh take from the typical mystery case-solving dramas, because I never would have thought that books could tell you so much! However, the plot development was nowhere near developing; it was quite slow with how things are coming into place.

I loved that this drama takes investigation into a new level with books being the main focus. I’ve actually seen quite a number of investigation dramas and with all of them it is the investigators that are the centre of solving the crime but here it is books that take centre stage. The books actually overshadow the characters here, even though they are supposed to be a support for the characters. It feels that the books are the ones telling the story and everything is unveiled through the voices of the character. I like this concept, but I want the characters to take charge and make themselves the centre of attention. It’s not that I don’t like that books are the ones of focus here but I would love it if both the books and characters could really work together to take charge and make the entire drama shine.

With the majority of the dramas that I see centred on love (I’m more of a rom-com type of drama girl), when I started to watch this drama, it just felt really slow and toned down. Even when compared to other crime/investigation dramas, this drama still feels quite slow. I think what is missing from this drama is that it lacks a definite road for where the plot wants to head. It’s investigation, that’s for sure but what is that something that is binding all of this together? What is that something that helps this plot to flow?

I think with the concept of books it can get quite boring and the room for growth is quite narrow. It may be an investigative/case drama but there is enough of a broad spectrum for things to occur. I think that this concept can get quite “boring” because with this topic, you can’t really predict how it is going to plan out unless you really know your books. Also, it can seem a bit draggy with its slow place. Already, with the three eps that I have seen, there were many scenes that seemed a bit too long and it would have been better off cut short. It would have been better if there were more of the climatic scenes instead of the unnecessary ones. I just hope with the successive eps there will really be some oomph and some bang.

The common theme with investigative dramas is that there are cases which are all mysterious. Of course, this drama is of no exception, and the mysterious feeling comes from not just the cases themselves but especially from Gouriki Ayame‘s character, Shinokawa Shioriko. Shinokawa gives the “know-it-all” feeling yet she is holding back from revealing her knowledge and allows the book to do the speaking instead. You can see that she knows the story without having actually read “the story” itself but she holds back from revealing her deeper understanding of what is going on. Instead, she gives hint and allows the story to speak of itself, giving that mysterious feeling. Also, I find that the way she acts really contributes to this mysterious affect; she is quiet, soft and it feels like she is holding back a mystery herself.

I love how the characters are slowly being introduced into the drama, especially as being part of a case. It doesn’t happen whereby all the characters appear at once but rather it happens quite slowly, at a one ep pace. I’m not sure how much more main characters there will be but I loved that as of currently, they characters slowly entered the story. I really like this, because they add to the mysteriousness and they do not disrupt the plot in any sense.

On appearance, Gouriki and AKRIA seem very much of an unlikely pair and they are just that. Of course, that is expected considering they are 11 years apart and that she is only 20 years old! I’m not a fan of them together appearance-wise (hopefully that will all change throughout the course of this drama) but I like their interactions. Their chemistry is not quite their yet but you can see that they are really trying to make this work, and this is what is working for me. I like watching them together, I like that he is helping her to solve mysteries while she is growing more and more fond of him. Gouriki might look very young but with AKIRA, he makes her look that much more mature!

I can’t say that I am loving this drama, at least not yet, but I am warming up towards it and more than ready to give it a try, especially with this genre which is quite different from other investigative dramas. (:

I stayed away from this drama because I am not a big fan of the leading actress. T_T I am surprised to hear that this drama has a slower pace to it though, I thought it would be more of a preppy drama. O_O